II. A Concept With Multiple Meanings

10.1163/ej.9789004174887.1-224.7

Brill’s MyBook program is exclusively available on
BrillOnline Books and Journals. Students and scholars affiliated with an
institution that has purchased a Brill E-Book on the BrillOnline platform
automatically have access to the MyBook option for the title(s) acquired by the
Library. Brill MyBook is a print-on-demand paperback copy which is sold at a
favorably uniform low price.

Chapter Summary

Internal self-determination concerns the choice of a system of governance and the administration of the functions of governance according to the will of the governed. This chapter presents the examples of the different layers of meaning of self-determination in a legal sense. Self-determination is not only a right exercised by peoples or groups. It is also a human right of individuals. Minority rights protect the existence of national, religious, linguistic or ethnic groups, facilitate the development of their identity and ensure that they can fully and effectively participate in all aspects of public life within the state. Virtually all inhabitable portions of the globe are subject to the territorial authority of one state or another. Nearly all human beings also find themselves within the jurisdiction of at least one state.